Brain games
The late monsoon rains couldn't keep the little creative minds away on Saturday, 21 September 2019. The third Saturday evening of every month brings with it immense fun learning organised by the Library team. Several new faces were seen and soon all the faces lit up with glee.
Three teams enjoyed a full-filled session of warmups,of the toes and legs, before the warming up of the little creative brains began.
The sorting into teams for each workshop is creatively done. We finally had 4 teams - red, green, blue, yellow, each divided into juniors of below 10 years and seniors of above the decade mark.
Games for Junior Brains
In a new twist, the games which usually revolve around Literature, expanded to include Number games this time. Perhaps general science next time!
Buzz - numbers can really make the brain work and this game had our juniors focussing on both multiples and arithmetical patters while being mindful of the progress of the game so that they didn't end up losing points for their teams.
Crosswords- Each team was subdivided and received a sheet each with the crossword puzzle they had to solve. Each group could be seen trying to figure out their clues.
Taxing Brain cells for Seniors
Buzz - played with double the level of complexity, the seniors were alert, on the edge and roaring with laughter as they spotted each other's misses. Points were deducted for the misses and the competitive bunch vied to earn points and not lose points for their teams.
Make 10 - Teams were further divided and were given grids of numbers with specific instructions for the task.
Joint Team Brains
Flash Numbers challenged the mathematical abilities of our DI kids. Each member of the team raced to the other end and were shown flash cards with problems they had to solve. Each child was given 2 chances to score points for their teams.
Comic Puzzles - Each team was given cut outs of a comic strip and they had to wear their analytical hats and put the puzzle together. The twist was that each team had one piece that didn't belong to them. The underlying lesson of helping each other and that there is more than what is evident was well learnt. Aarav Bharany from the red team figured out the twist in the game which helped his team to win this game.
Another round of this game showed greater collaboration and again Aarav was seen taking on a leadership role as he set-up a system to help all the teams solve their comic puzzles at the same time. Although Aarav belonged to the red team, he helped all teams and the invaluable lesson of building trust was learnt so beautifully.
At the end of the Comic game, Uncle Leslie elicited from the children what they learnt - everyone needs to be involved in the game, give away what we don't need and that helps all to win together. The natural leader in this game Aarav received much appreciation for his assertive and impartial actions.
Rocket Launcher - this game with the intriguing name was a sure hit. Each child was given a sheet of paper. They had to make their own paper planes and then the contest began. One member from each team flew a rocket each in several rounds. Distance covered by each 'Chandrayan' earned either 2 or 1 point for the team. Competition was close with the red and blue teams earning the maximum points in this game. Excited cheering could be heard as each team cheered for its member.
After all the teams had their chance, Uncle Leslie asked each team to select one member from the juniors and seniors for the final round. This simple game of rocket flying was as refreshing as it was thrilling.
With all the games for the evening over, it was time for the final scores. Yellow team won, followed by Red, Green and Blue.
The beautiful and delicious cake baked by Saldanha Bakery was cut by the winning team. The delicious cake had children coming back for more. Yummy treats awaited the excited children as each received a Saldanha Bakery box filled with a sandwich, a tart and a cupcake. Juice followed, completing the wonderful evening with Team Library..
I hear that Christabel, Mohore and Nushrat were the main brains behind this session of impeccably planned games. Two complementary sets were planned, each for the juniors and seniors and some games together. As one game was played, they could be seen quietly setting up for the next set.
The rest of library team, Leslie, Rajashree, Rituparna, Sreemoyee, Simran and Kusum, our new librarian, were all hands on as they beautifully guided excited children from one game to the another.
We await the next session eagerly.
[Photos by various team members and the author]
